Paired box gene 8 (PAX8) expression is associated with sonic hedgehog (SHH)/wingless int (WNT) subtypes, desmoplastic histology and patient survival in human medulloblastomas.

Aims: The paired box gene 8 (PAX8) plays crucial roles in organ patterning and cellular differentiation during development and tumorigenesis. Although its function is partly understood in vertebrate development, there is poor data concerning human central nervous system (CNS) development and brain tumours.

Methods: We investigated developing human (n = 19) and mouse (n = 3) brains as well as medulloblastomas (MBs) (n = 113) for PAX8 expression by immunohistochemistry.

MicroRNA-145 targets the metalloprotease ADAM17 and is suppressed in renal cell carcinoma patients.

A disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17) is a metalloprotease that is overexpressed in many cancer types, including renal cancers. However, the regulatory mechanisms of ADAM17 in cancer development and progression are poorly understood. In the present work, we provide evidence using overexpression and inhibition of microRNA 145 (miR-145) that miR-145 negatively regulates ADAM17 expression.

The transcription factor PAX2 regulates ADAM10 expression in renal cell carcinoma.

ADAM10 is a metalloprotease that plays an important role in the progression and metastasis of various cancers. In the present study, we present compelling evidence that PAX2 can bind to the promotor of ADAM10 and regulate ADAM10 protein expression in renal cancer cells. We further show that ADAM10 is the major sheddase for the constitutive cleavage of L1-CAM and c-Met, two important proteins involved in the progression of renal cancer.

PAX2 regulates ADAM10 expression and mediates anchorage-independent cell growth of melanoma cells.

PAX transcription factors play an important role during development and carcinogenesis. In this study, we investigated PAX2 protein levels in melanocytes and melanoma cells by Western Blot and immunofluorescence analysis and characterized the role of PAX2 in the pathogenesis of melanoma. In vitro we found weak PAX2 protein expression in keratinocytes and melanocytes.

L1-CAM expression in ccRCC correlates with shorter patients survival times and confers chemoresistance in renal cell carcinoma cells.

Conflicting data exist about the expression of L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1-CAM) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). To determine the clinical usefulness of L1-CAM as a therapeutic or prognostic marker molecule in renal cancer patients, we analyzed its expression on a cohort of 282 renal cell carcinoma (RCC) patients. L1-CAM expression was found in 49.